Chiltern Craft Fair at Stonor

So...I started my day picking blackberries in the garden for breakfast with coffee and watching a fat rabbit run around under the trees...

then...

I went to the Chiltern Craft Fair, at Stonor.

Stonor is a beautiful stately home, set in large gardens, just outside Henley-on-Thames. The Craft Fair is a 3 day annual event and it was great! These are just some of the exhibitors I really liked...

• Legends Rocking Horses...

I particularly LOVED this one, a zebra...

 

Even better, I now know where I can get MY old rocking horse re-tailed properly!

• The flower man...(all pics of flowers taken with my iphone, with hipstamatic app, a new find, which I am loving! It makes pics seem 'vintage' when you take them. Very cool).

• I also liked Megan Crook's stuff...'Crooked Knitwear'. I didn't buy, but was very tempted. She's doing other craft fairs though, so I'm sure I'll see her again. Here are some of her pieces, these pics are from her website...womens' wear, accessories, lamp shades...and yep, that's Megan...

• Annie Peaker was a ceramic artist based in the Eden Valley, Lazonby, in Cumbria. I loved some of her pieces. You can see her stuff online. She does courses April - September. B&B accomodation available.  I loved her animals...particularly her monkeys! Isn't this one fabulous!

Awwww, so cute!

• The 247 Gallery also had some lovely animal sculptures...look at their website, but this was my favourite...

 (Moongazing rabbit...he was actually quite large!)

• Scatty Cat made great lavender bag animals and scented bookmarks...

• The Inky Otter had some fab etchings and prints...  

(I got a teeny tiny limited edition one, of a blue tit, which I will put in a frame.)

There was also country style music, chair makers, wicker basket makers, places to eat, clothes, cutlery, pictures, cards, handbags, country wear, garden ornaments, stamping companies, food to buy, toy makers and loads more, but I seem to have been drawn to things with an animal theme today!

Also got a few bits for Xmas (I am SO organised!)...but obviously I can't show those here...family & friends might read & see...and I need to keep the surprises!

I did get some great sausages though, pork with stilton & garlic, cider & apple...

As well as some fabulous cheese and homemade award winning onion chutney...

Those will be given and eaten tomorrow!

Oh, and some honey with cinnamon, which tastes amazing! For breakfast on toast in cold winter mornings!

Am definitely going again next year!

Off now to unpack bits & put them away...then another episode of 'Mad Men'. Loving it!

Bye everyone!

See you soon.

Easy Plum or Damson Jam

It's that time... Jam time!


I am making some right now, as the plums are ripe and the damsons seem to be nearly ready again here. My jam last year worked really well, I posted about Damson Jam. This is an update on what I'm doing now... Trying to type between working to make it as clear as poss for you. Don't want to forget anything. Bit sticky though!

Easy - Peasy...Plum Jam, (or Damson Jam if you prefer)!

(Required: 1 pound of sugar to each pound of fruit). 
Jars.
Sugar.
Plums / Damsons. Recipe works with any plum type.

Some people may use normal granulated sugar, but I used preserving sugar, not the 'jam sugar'. Something to do with pectin in various fruits. Some fruits like strawberries need more pectin, others, like damsons or  need less as they're already rich in pectin. You can check easily online to find out more, if you want to make other fruit jams. I get my sugar from Waitrose, they have various types and for plums and damsons I use the preserving sugar clearly marked for these fruits. Some people add lemon juice, or some cinnamon, but I don't. I just go for sugar and fruit only.

Pick off all the stalks and cut the fruit into halves. 

(You could take all the stones out now, which is what I do, but I warn you, it's fiddly and time consuming. This is the most slow bit. Have a radio nearby!)

The other option is to leave them until later *, as a friend of mine does ). 

I weigh as I go along so when I get 1kg fruit I chuck it into the pan and add 1kg sugar. You could do it in any batches you like... I like to do them in batches of 1 kg as I can only fit a certain number of jars into the oven at once, to sterilise, so I don't end up with loads of jam to jar and no jars ready!

Put the fruit and sugar into a preserving pan and place on a low to mid heat, then stir gently until all the sugar has dissolved. Juices will start to flow and the colour darkens. Make sure you have stirred in all the sugar well.

*Remove the stones as they float to the top of the pan. 

At this point, while the fruits are on low heat, I do jars. I collect these during the year and store them in the shed so I have them to hand. 

Don't forget to sterilize your jars. It's imperative! I'm sure there are various ways, but I do it like this:

Wash in very hot soapy water, allow to dry. Put upside down in a cool oven on baking paper on a tray and allow the oven to heat up to about 150 degrees... *

Bring fruits on hob to boiling point, stirring and skimming frequently. I can't tell you exactly how long to 'cook' it then, you'll have to judge and do a test. It should reduce a little though. Basically, boil until the syrup jellies when tested. When I tested, I put a tiny bit on a small saucer and popped it in the fridge...if it set to sticky after a few minutes then it would be ready to stop heating and pour into jars. Wear an apron and take care not to get splashed while it's boiling. Do not burn yourself when you pour jam into jars either, which I inevitably have done!

*...then take jars out of oven. Turn them up the right way,  ready to pour jam into them. Be careful! they will be very hot! (I find that by the time the jars are heated, the jam is almost ready.)

Pour jam mix into the warmed jars and cover the jam in the jar with those waxy, jam-pot papers; then seal with plastic circles, tied with rubber bands. You need to wet the plastic seals a bit so they will stretch over and then tighten as they dry out and the jam cools. I get my seals from Lakeland. They also do all sorts of fancy jam equipment, (if you want to get really professional!) I do buy white lids sometimes there too, so the jars aren't labelled with what was in there before.

Take care not to overcook, mine was still runny & easy to ladle in, but you could use a funnel to help focus pouring! It sets a bit quite quickly after it cools. I also did it in 1 kg batches, so I could monitor it... If anything went wrong with one batch I wouldn't have wasted all the plums / damsons together. (Nothing did go wrong though). I had quite juicy damsons & plums.

One kind reader emailed me to mention perhaps adding water...I guess some people like to add a bit of water, you could try that as you heat them up, monitor the consistency and judge what you think best.


Jam should be stored away from direct sunlight, in a cool, dry place. Use it after at least a month and within one year. After you open it though, you need to store it someplace cool, a fridge or a cold larder cupboard and eat within one month.

I package mine up for Xmas gifts. Put lids on after a while, when jam is cold. Cut circles of festive material and hold in place over lids with another elastic band, or a ribbon. I also get luggage labels and tie on, as this gives me space to write stuff. I print sticky labels for the jars too.

Here are some pics to help you...

Da- Na! Voila! Finished!

Hope it works for you & that you enjoy eating it on cold winter days! 

I'll have mine for breakfast with coffee, or after work, with Earl Grey tea in front of a roaring log fire!

Also great for little Christmas time gifts.

Let me know how it turns out!

Love